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Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God.

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." Galatians 2:21. 

 I am sure most of you reading this have heard of the term Grace. If you do not come from a Christian country, or a Christian background the term grace is what God uses to save people from their sins, and enter into a life saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is taught to be God in the Christian Holy bible and it is a person's belief and faith in Jesus, that makes that person saved. The bible teaches that grace was present in the old testament as well as the new, but it is faith in the sacrificial death on a cross by Jesus Christ that makes me able to say that God forgave my sins. The reason why I wanted to write about grace, is because there is a lot of wrong emphasis on what the human being contributes to their eternal salvation and reconciliation to Almighty God. Part of the confusion in the 21st Century is a wrong idea about how God saves people. 

 For the most part, the emphasis is placed on our identity as Christians not on our actual standing with God. There are teaching in the evangelical church which teach that we are saved and made ready for Heaven by faith alone, while the Catholic Church teaches that we must stay in a state of Grace. The idea is the same, Jesus died for the penalty of the sins of the human race and anyone who trusts him for this is guaranteed Heaven when they die. Any religion that teaches we must earn our standing to please God is wrong, I don't think that is what the Catholic Church teaches as regards to Grace. There are states of Grace that help us in our sanctification, and it is through this real contact with the holiness of God that we see how sinful we are, as God gives us a chance through His grace to repent of our sins.

 Sins are not just forgiven once, in a sense it is true though through our conversion to Christ, I think both churches would agree on that. Where the disagreement happens is how that Grace comes to repentant sinners. In one sense grace comes to all people alive because without the grace of God, we would all die right now on the spot. It takes deeper grace, and abundant grace to keep the soul in a "state of grace" and free from sin, which by the way is the only way anyone will get to heaven. It is a mistake to think that Christians can commit mortal or grave sins and expect to be forgiven by God when they get to heaven. Their place is hell. Sorry. 


Christians are called saints for a reason, because a saint is someone who didn't die in a sate of mortal sin. The Church teaches this and so does our conscience. When human beings sin, they should feel guilty. The guilt that humans feel as a result of grave and venial sin, according to God should lead them to be right with God, and right with their neighbours and brothers and sisters. It only takes one sin to send a person to hell forever if that sin is unconfessed and unrepented of at the time of their death. this is what the bible teaches. If we die hating our neighbour we will go to hell. God is love (1 John 4:16) and hatred is evil and love and hate cannot be united after death. Because our souls unite with God at death if we don't die in our sins, we can have absolutely no hatred and unforgiveness for any human being (living or dead) God will not allow them into their presence that way, and the bible teaches humans that they are immediately judged after their deaths. Besides a person like that would be consumed by the holy fire of God for their sins that way. 

 Galatians 2:21 teaches people saved and unsaved that it is possible to forfeit your salvation by taking the grace of God for granted. When you no longer look to God and His grace to save you, there is nothing left to save you with. (Ephesians 2:8-9) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9not by works, so that no one can boast. God's grace is favour bestowed to undeserving sinners, but we can reject this Grace which then takes you out from a state of Grace permanently if you keep refusing the Grace of God. This is Mike.

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